"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but
rather reprove them." - Ephesians 5:11

How confusing it must be for those outside the faith who
try to connect the Jesus Christ of scripture to the people, groups and
institutions of our day that call Him Lord. It’s a wonder ANYONE comes to faith
in Christ anymore! Were it up to the machinations of men, clearly no one would.
When I myself read Isaiah the prophet’s brief description of the coming Messiah
and then view the postmodern church that bears His name, it’s often difficult to
see any resemblance or relation between the humble Shepherd and the 21st century
sheep.

“For he shall grow up before him as a
tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness;
and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is
despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and
we hid as it were our faces from him…”- Isaiah
53:2-3

Does this sound like anyone you'd see on stage at Willow
Creek or Saddleback?

According to the scriptures, Jesus was wholly unimpressive
in appearance. Not only was He aesthetically unattractive but also lowly in His
dress and demeanor – utterly forgettable by worldly standards. From what Isaiah
describes, we wouldn’t give Him a second look if He passed us on the street.

Only after opening His mouth to reveal the infinite love,
wisdom and power of Almighty God did Jesus ultimately seize the undivided
attention of the world around Him. Though He wasn’t much to look at in the flesh
– once encountered, He was impossible to forget.

What a contrast to those of the church today, where so
much of what we say and do in the name of Christ is driven by “the lust of the
flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life”, (i.e., “Maslow’s Hierarchy
of Needs”.) – a psychologically driven “faith” that focuses on one’s health,
happiness and personal fulfillment rather than crucifying the flesh and it’s
appetites and ambitions for the benefit of that which cannot be felt, seen nor
achieved.

“For all that is in the world, the
lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of
the Father, but is of the world.” - 1 John
2:16

It only stands to reason that if Jesus darkened the doors
of today’s high-tech, user-friendly church of “felt needs” and “self-esteem”,
His attitude, appearance, behavior, interests, and values would instantly
disqualify Him from a leadership role and render Him more of a rival to the
cause than an asset – where marketing a universal message of “tolerance,
diversity and unity” with style has all but replaced the timeless call to
personal sacrifice and obedience and where interpersonal relationships and
interaction with groups and organizations regularly take precedence over one’s
personal relationship to God and a reverential knowledge of His Word.

A dear lady wrote me the other day after having stumbled
upon a near three-year old article of mine entitled: ‘The People’s Church’. She
told me that she and her family had also been members of that same congregation
at or about the same time and had not found another since leaving there so
disillusioned. She went on to add that they had almost given up on finding
another church after having been “burned” so badly by the last four they had
been a part of. I encouraged her to not give up her search. Stories like hers
have been filling my mailbox ever since that article was first published in the
summer of 2000. Many seem to find comfort and reassurance in discovering that
the problem was not with them after all but rather with the church growth
movement that beguiled them – especially after reading about my own traumatic
experience with it and seeing how closely it mirrored theirs.

What has happened to the church today that would cause one
Christian to ask another what she eventually asked me; “Are there any ‘safe’
churches out there?” And, again, what a disturbing contrast to put today’s new
church, new gospel and new Jesus alongside that of the first century, where
modesty, humility, faith, obedience, reverence, discipline and self-sacrifice
marked the lives of the redeemed and where a believer’s spiritual safety and
well-being was, for the most part, threatened only from the outside.

"...If any man preach any other gospel
unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."(Galatians 1:9)

I live in a rural area of the country where coyotes run
rampant and howl from the hillsides at night. It’s not uncommon for farmers and
ranchers here to lose chickens, calves and other small animals to these
wolf-like predators. Something, however, has changed dramatically in recent
years. Coyotes have become increasingly prevalent and aggressive in urban areas
as well. People are losing cats and dogs from right off their back porches. Even
the safety of children playing outside has become a concern to parents where
these critters have been known to prowl for prey. My brother found the remains
of a pet he dearly loved scattered across his backyard not long after seeing a
coyote stare at him through the sliding glass doors of his home in a California
suburb.

Wolves among the sheep are becoming more prevalent and
aggressive in and around our church homes these days also – driven by a
desperate and seductive gospel-like agenda, where “creekers” offer “seekers” THE
WORLD rather than deliverance FROM IT.

These wolves run among us because we allow them to do so,
believing that it is somehow “loving” to be silent and tolerant of their
wickedness and deceit – that if God doesn’t want them around He will remove them
from our presence Himself, thereby relinquishing any and all personal
responsibility to take on the Whole Armor of God and courageously defend the
faith and the absolute truth of scripture.

"And have no fellowship with the
unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." - Ephesians 5:11

It is both sad and frustrating to hear so many of those
who have escaped the influence and illusion of Willow Creek and Saddleback
whisper among themselves from the shadows as if it were somehow dangerous and
disgraceful to make public the heresy, abuse and exploitation they endured. It’s
like they’re being starred into a submissive silence through the glass doors of
their troubled lives by an intimidating presence ever watching from the outside.
If they only knew that merely raising their voice in opposition, armed with the
Truth of God’s Word and the power of His Holy Spirit, these cowardly creatures
that haunt them would scurry away with their tails between their legs.

“Resist the devil and he will flee
from you.”James 4:7b

Unfortunately, we accept and accommodate these night
stalkers out of fear and confusion, hoping they’ll get tired and just go away.
But I assure you, until we start learning and believing the bible we embrace and
emulating the faith and courage of those from the early church who did more than
just CALL Jesus “Lord”, the apostasy will grow and we will continue to cower in
the presence of howling coyotes and hide in the shadows of our own silence as
they carry more of our friends and loved ones away into the darkness.

"A man that is an heretick after the
first and second admonition reject." - Titus
3:10

Paul Proctor, a rural resident of the Volunteer state
and seasoned veteran of the country music industry, retired from showbiz in the
late 1990's to dedicate himself to addressing important social issues from a
distinctly biblical perspective. As a freelance writer and regular columnist for
NewsWithViews.com, he extols
the wisdom and truths of scripture through commentary and insight on cultural
trends and current events. His articles appear regularly on a variety of news
and opinion sites across the internet and in print. Paul may be reached at
watchman@usa.com